Which is larger, 0.2 or 0.02?

Explanation

• The correct answer is 0.2. Give both numbers the same number of decimal places: 0.2 becomes 0.20, and 20 hundredths is more than 2 hundredths.
• As fractions, 0.2 is 2/10 and 0.02 is 2/100. When the numerator is the same, the smaller denominator gives the bigger value.
• 0.2 is exactly ten times 0.02, so the difference between the two numbers is large, not small.
• Option C is wrong because the digit 2 sits in the tenths place in 0.2 but in the hundredths place in 0.02.
• For any decimal comparison question, line up the decimal points, pad the shorter number with zeros, then compare the digits from left to right.